Cory Wallace sets FKT up Mount Kilimanjaro

Update: As if reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro at all wasn’t hard enough, Cory Wallace went back, and went faster. After scouting the route, the Jasper, Alta. endurance racer set a new bike FKT (Fastest Known Time) up the world’s tallest freestanding mountain in Tanzania on Friday. Wallace ascended from park entrance (1,980m) to Uhuru Peak (5,898m) and back in 8 hours 55 minutes.

Check out all kinds of stats behind the Canadian’s incredible ride on Strava.

Canadian endurance and adventure racer Cory Wallace is making the most of an unusual race season. The Jasper, Alta. rode from sea level to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, at 5,862 metres.

Wallace was initially on the continent for the ABSA Cape Epic. Travel restrictions initially prevented his return to Canada, and he’s been riding and training in the area since.

His incredible sea to summit ride started on Tanzania’s Zanzibar Archipelago. From there, Wallace bikepacked his way up and into the coastal African nation, steadily working his way towards the “Roof of Africa.”

Wallace reached the summit of Kilimanjaro on Wednesday, January 26. The multi-day ride to the highest mountain in Africa – and the highest single free-standing mountain in the world – was carried out mostly by bike. It does appear some hike-a-biking was involved nearer the volcano’s peak.

You can see Wallace’s summit ride on Strava, as well as his entire quest from sea to summit.

This isn’t Wallace’s first far-flung adventure, by any means. The Canadian’s done several massive single-day rides around Nepal’s Annapurna Loop, often raising funds for local charities. While waiting out the first lockdown in Nepal, Wallace Everested in the shadow of Mount Everest itself. Just in the past few years, he’s also won 24Hour Solo World Championships, attempted to Everest in the Rocky Mountains outside his Jasper hometown and countless other smaller adventures.